A Twist in Destiny
by B Michi
Summary: He was said to be a shadow, a cold hearted monster, the destroyer of life. He was said to be able to see all your fears, all your secrets. To be able to kill a man with just a look, some said he could do it with less than that. He was Cenred's sorcerer, and it was Gwen's job to dispose of him. There's just one problem: Destiny still has plans to fix that which has gone astray.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello there! So here is my first story. I'm going to say it now, any updates I do make on this are probably going to be slow, unless I get a hit of amazing inspiration and a magically lessened work load.**

**But anyway, this is a plot bunny that popped into my mind. . I may or may not continue it so we'll see. I think it works well as a one-shot as well, so please let me know what you think at the end.**

**Edit 2/18/14 ** **Pretty much this is an AU in which Merlin never showed up in Camelot but was enslaved to Cenred instead. Cenred in turn has been using Merlin's gifts to his own ends and trying to take over lands in the neighboring kingdoms (i.e. Camelot), while terrorizing his own lands to keep control.**** (Thank you to adsiderum for pointing out that I should mention that!) Hope this clears up some confusion!**

****So enough of me babbling away here. Enjoy!****

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Gwen knocked on the door and waited anxiously. After a month of hiding who she really was, she had finally managed to reach her target. Cenred's sorcerer. The black magician. The destroyer. The man of a thousand names; _Emrys._ Soon she would be able to carry out her purpose of being in this castle, and then she could return to her king, her love. But first she had to get close enough to Emrys.

A quiet voice beckoned her into the room, and with a quick heartbeat she opened the door. She knew not what she would find inside the room. Instruments of torture perhaps. Potions and poisons? What would Emrys look like. She imagined a shadow. A shadow that sucked all other life from the room. That's what the stories say, and Gwen couldn't truly say anything against it, she had only seen the sorcerer in passing. A quick glimpse of the black figure strolling briskly behind the king; an ominous black cloak flying out behind him as he turned the corner.

But as she stepped into the room, the door closing behind her, Gwen found that it was much worse. The man in question stood solemnly by the only window and source of light. He was wrapped in his black cloak as always, but the moon and stars shone on his tilted face, revealing the pale skin beneath; a flash of silver around his neck. The room was barren but for a bed, giving the appearance of a cold and empty space. Gwen found, it was not the shadow by the window that sucked the life from the room, but the room that sucked the life from the shadow. She felt the urge to fight back her tears. It was painfully obvious that the man was a prisoner, and Gwen felt ashamed that she had never thought it before; that she had listened to the whispers of the ladies' gossip, and men's grand tales. She had known that they seldom spoke the truth.

The room spoke the truth. The sorcerer was a prisoner in a sugar coated prison cell, not that the room was much more than a prison cell in the first place. And that was worse, Gwen thought, that the man responsible for so much death, so much destruction, was not a cold hearted monster, but just a man. A poor man, enslaved to a king.

Gwen waited for a moment before setting about her job. She cleared the sheets from the bed guided only by the moonlight beyond the window, and having nothing else to do she simply waited for Emrys' orders.

But none were forthcoming.

"Is there anything else you need sir?" Gwen asked. The silence was suffocating, and she wanted to get out before it took her.

And then Emrys spoke, his head turning just a bit, allowing Gwen to see more clearly the shine of the silver collar circling his neck, but his face was still draped in shadow. "You are a new servant." The question was more of a statement but Gwen nodded anyway, feeling the words caught in her throat at his voice. It wasn't powerful- commanding- it was a sad voice, rough from neglect. He spoke again, "What is your name?" Gwen felt the need to lie, to run, to get away as fast as possible. She shouldn't give him her name. Names were powerful; in the wrong hands, a name could be used to control you. But Gwen did none of those things. Perhaps it was the pity she found herself having for the sorcerer, or maybe it was something else entirely, but Gwen answered him.

"Guinevere, sir."

Gwen watched as Emrys rolled the name around on his tongue, seemingly trying to fit it with something else. He was silent for a while, turned again to look out the window, his face tilted towards the sky. When he spoke, he spoke suddenly, quietly, and Gwen thought she heard a thread of hope weaved into his sad voice, "The stars speak of the fair lady Guinevere." And Gwen's heart stuck in her throat. She prepared to run out of the room should the need arise, not that she expected it would do much help for her against the powerful sorcerer. "They speak of her alongside her golden king bringing peace to the land with her kind heart, and the trees whisper of her coming."

He stood silent again. Gazing intently at the sky, and Gwen almost forgot for a moment who she was in the room with. But then Emrys spoke again. "I only pray that you live up to the name." Gwen stared at him, as he then turned his head, slowly, toward her again. She fought the urge to squirm, as she felt his eyes fall upon her. And then he turned back to the window with a gruff "You may go."

When she reached the servants quarters, she wept; wept for the man who was taken from his home and forced to do an evil man's biddings.

~\\./~

It was a week later that Gwen was told to bring up food to Emrys: the usual carrier had fallen ill, and she was the only other servant allowed entry. It was the chance that she had been waiting for.

Gwen took the least traveled route to Emrys' room, pausing in an alcove to pull the vial from around her neck and pour a drop into the wine she carried. She quickly placed it back around her neck, and checking both ways, continued down the corridor to Emrys' room.

When she entered Emrys was sat on the bed, staring at the wall opposite him. His hood was down, and for the first time Gwen saw the face of Emrys. The face of a pale young man, with sad blue eyes, and a mop of raven hair. He didn't even glance at Gwen as she brought him the food and wine.

"I've brought your dinner, sir." And now Emrys slowly shifted his eyes to her, and then down to the tray she carried. He reached out for it slowly, and Gwen let him take it. She waited as he slowly ate his food, and waited for him to drink the wine patiently. The silence did not bother her as much anymore, after all, Emrys had not spoken to her since that first day, and the silence had become an everyday thing that she had just grown used to. She had to.

So when he did speak, it startled Gwen enough to make her jump. "You are very loyal to your king Guinevere… and very brave." Gwen starred at him, he still had not touched the wine. Her heart rate picked up. "You traveled into this kingdom, knowing that you would be facing me sooner or later. Knowing that what you were going to do could get you killed. But you did it anyway, for Camelot, for your king." Gwen swallowed hard. _He knew_. He knew and now she would die. "This wine is laced with a strong poison. One that can only be cured with the strongest of remedies. A remedy which can only be found in Camelot… I will not live if I drink it."

Gwen tried to move, to run, but for the life of her she couldn't. It was as if she had been frozen where she stood, and all she could do was watch the man before her, as he stared at the cup of wine in his hand. And then he looked up at her with sad eyes, and he gave her an almost sadder, but reassuring smile, as he whispered two words. "Thank you." And with that he raised the cup to his lips, and drank the whole thing; quickly lying down on the bed, as the poison did its work.

Gwen hurried over to him, taking the tray, and wine cup away, and draping the blanket over Emrys. As she turned to leave Emrys called out once more to her. She looked back at him as he struggled to force out the words "Tell… that king of yours…to kill the bastard for me… will you? I can… die happy."

Gwen covered her mouth with her hand, muffling the choked cry which came from her throat. Tears welled up in her eyes as the man in front of her succumbed to darkness. The poison would make him unresponsive, his heart beat imperceptible, and most importantly, his magic unreachable. Tomorrow, King Cenred would arrive to retrieve his sorcerer and would find him seemingly dead. He wouldn't be. Not by then. The poison would not kill the sorcerer for another week, but it was the only one that Emrys would be unable to cure himself of. She took the tray and cup, and ran from the room, discarding them in an unused room, and ran out of the castle. The deed was done. Now she need only to leave the city before curfew. And Cenred's reign of terror would end.

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**So, please don't kill me for what you just read. I promise I don't normally want to kill off Merlin- I'm not like Steven Moffat who kills off all the lovable characters ;) - But let me know if I should continue this or not. I actually do have a beginning of a plot for this, its just a matter of I still have a LOT of work to do for it. Not to mention updates will be very sporadic and could have months between them (that's the result of being over busy, and besides that I'm more of a reader than a write- sorry). So do you think it's worth it to continue? Do you like it as it is? Any suggestions? Let me know! I'd love to hear (or read in this case) your thoughts! XD**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well hello again everyone. I'm going to start by saying thank you to all you lovelies who reviewed, favorited and/or followed this little story. As you can see I've decided to continue this, though I have to say I'm still not too sure with where it's going (It's really taken on a mind of its own!) But I guess we'll all see what happens. **

**As a quick reminder this is an AU and there are plenty of things different. Though much of it may not be explained thoroughly now, it will be later... in fact very very soon. At least most of the background on "what happened in Camelot without Merlin there?" Don't worry most (if not all) answer will be revealed in time. ;) **

**These next few chapters will probably be a bit confusing, which it's meant to be, so if you have any questions feel free to Review or PM me and I'll answer to the best of my abilities. **

**The last thing I'm going to say is if you don't think you end up not likin****g this chapter or how this seems to be going, then just ignore it and pay not attention to the chapters "behind the curtain" and only keep to the first. **

_**Oh one more thing: In this story Uther is dead, and Arthur king. Arthur has also already accepted magic fully (which will also be explained soon), but it is important that you understand that. **_

**Pre-warning this is a bit choppy in the beginning.**

**Anyway, enough of my prattle! On with the story! XD**

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Emrys drifted in darkness. He could feel no pain, but knew his body was slowly dying. Was this death? He didn't think it was, the poison would still be coursing through him, slowing down his heart, and increasingly blocking his lungs, but he wasn't dead yet. Or had it already been a week since he had drunk the poison. He couldn't tell. The darkness was timeless. He could hear a voice in the distance, calling for him, yelling at him. Instinctively he knew his magic was trying to react to its master's demands. To expel the poison and wake his body up, but he knew it was of no use. The poison fought his magic adamantly, or at least that's what he expected; he couldn't exactly feel his magic right now. In fact he couldn't feel anything. But he could hear his master demanding his action.

It was a stream of words, but he couldn't decipher them. They were meaningless to him. All he knew was the intent of the words streaming from his master's mouth. Why should he listen though? What was the point? Even if he could heal himself his master would only make him kill others in return. Make him burn down more people. Make him listen to their screams as he reigned down fire, and then the Earth would cry out as it was scorched; black scars running fresh upon her surface. The loss of life that was ripped from her like children taken from their mother.

Mother. That's why he did his master's bidding. His mother that he had not seen since he was ten; the day that the stars shifted, and Magic cried. The day Destiny had changed its course. Nothing would be the same. He could remember his mother's voice here. Soothing him to sleep. Telling him that the dark of night could not hurt him. But she was wrong. The darkness was what had changed him. The darkness was what his master was made of. The darkness controlled him. The darkness was what tore at his heart mercilessly and crushed it in its grasp. The darkness was the destroyer, but at that moment he believed his mother. He allowed himself to fall into his memories. To remember his innocence that was taken so brutally from him.

_"Merlin" _ It was his mother's voice, but who was Merlin? Emrys saw a young boy, maybe entering his fourth summer, with black hair and crystal blue eyes so full of wonder and curiosity. Why was this boy with _his_ mother. _"Merlin you must be careful. You cannot use your powers as a toy. You have to hide them." _The words seemed familiar to Emrys. But why? _"Do you understand Merlin? You mustn't tell anyone."_

The boy spoke now,_ "Yes mama. No magic. No tell anyone. Keep secret." _Oh, that was right. The boy was him. Merlin was him. But he was Emrys, so how did that work? How was he both? The scene in front of him abruptly changed. Now the boy stood in the door to his room, older now, watching in horror as his mother was taken by the black knights. He watched as the boy screamed and his eyes flashed gold, a pot flying from a table and hitting one of the knights as another was thrown into the fireplace.

The boy ran to his mother, and tried to help her, but before he could, a knight grabbed him and pressed a rag into his face as he squirmed. Slowly his vision blackened, and the last thing he heard was his mother crying out _"Please! He's just a boy! Please! My son!" _and then he once again was floating in the timeless, endless darkness.

~\\./~

Gwen walked silently beside her brother. She had managed to leave the city with no trouble, and had quickly found him. He had immediately noticed the tears on her face and had comforted her as best he could. Killing Emrys had not been as easy as she had thought, not in the sense of reaching him and physically achieving it, but the mental wounds tore at her heart. Had it been right to kill him? He was just a man after all. It wasn't like Emrys had wanted to kill all those people, she could see that in his eyes, hear it in his voice. The guilt that Emrys held was strong, and Gwen wondered how he hadn't died from that before the poison.

_"It was to save the lives of thousands Gwen." _ Elyan had said when she expressed her doubts, _"To save Camelot and Escetia." _

Gwen had simply responded _"That doesn't make it right."_ Because she would never be able to wipe clean the memory of Emrys' sad eyes. The acceptance that _yes, of course I must drink the poison_ that she could see in his face. The way he moved as if he was just _so tired_, and the way he had willingly drunk the poison, knowing what it would do. And she had even seen the quick flash of fear in his eyes, not for himself, but for another. And that image burned in her mind. She had killed this man who, despite what he had done in the past, had such a heart. That he cared enough for the lives of others that he would kill himself. And that tormented her. She had not killed a monster as she had expected. She had only succeeded in killing a beaten and broken man.

"Gwen?" Gwen looked at her brother, taken out of her thoughts. She smiled a little, she was happy to see her brother. Happy that they had been brought together again. Had Arthur not been the man he was, then she would never have been able to see him, to mend their relationship again. But he had reunited them, and she would never be more thankful for that.

"I'm okay, Elyan. Just thinking."

She knew that wasn't explanation enough. Knew that he would ask more questions. She watched his jaw stiffen, and his body tense. He was worried for her, and she couldn't blame him, in fact she expected it, he was her brother after all.

"Are you still thinking about Emrys? Because if you are you ought to stop. It won't change anything to dwell on it now. It's done and that's it." Gwen frowned at her brother's words. She knew he was trying, but there were some things that he just didn't understand.

They didnt speak again until they arrived at the camp; the camp that was filled with thousands of soldiers and knights and sorcerers. Druids strolled around, healing injuries of those returning from raids on Cenred's strongholds. Gaius was there too, slower than he used to be, but just as strong willed as ever.

She sought out Arthur, quickly finding him as he finished talking with a knight. Their eyes met before they ran to each other. Arthur catching her as she fell weeping into his arms. He guided her to his tent as she sobbed out her story, knowing her beloved king would understand. Knowing that he would say the right words. "It was terrible Arthur. He was just a man, he wasn't evil or cruel. He was just sad and broken; forced to fight for Cenred. He was a slave. And I killed him Arthur. He couldn't have been any older than eighteen."

"It will be alright Guinevere. He will be at peace now, knowing he can't hurt anyone else." Gwen let herself be soothed by her husband's voice. They stayed like that for a few minutes, Arthur's arms wrapped around her as she buried her face in his chest. Taking in his familiar scent and relaxing.

"He only spoke to me twice. And both times he was so sad. I think he knew what I was there for long before he had ever laid eyes on me. He must have. He knew who I was, and on the first day, the way he looked at me…" Gwen stayed silent for a moment as Arthur brushed away her tears, and comforted her, "He drank the poison willingly you know." She felt Arthur's hand pause in its soothing motions. "He ate so slowly, and with such… I don't know how to explain it. But he just stopped at the wine. And that was when he spoke to me for the second time. He knew it was poisoned. He thanked me for it. _Thanked me Arthur_. And then he just drank it, and laid down. He knew exactly what it was. He knew he would die, and he drank it anyway."

They stayed in silence for a moment. Gwen waited a few breaths; letting her words sink in. She could tell that Arthur was surprised. And then she continued, "He gave me a message for you." She felt Arthur shift, "He said to kill him. To kill Cenred. That then he could die happy. I…" Gwen broke off. She couldn't continue anymore; it was too painful. So instead she let herself relax in Arthur's arms, and let sleep take her.

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**Well then, what do you think? I promise that Gwen won't be as OOC in the next chapters, but I kind of felt that with a loving heart like she has, she might need that comforting. **

**I basically have the next few chapters set, and almost ready to post though, so hopefully this will work out well. I'm planning to try and post a chapter once every week, but I don't know if I can keep to that so, we'll see what happens. And I probably won't be able to post much during this coming uup week as I'll be away, but I'll see what I can do. **

**Please review and let me know how you liked this chapter! Any advice/suggestions, or questions are also welcome. XD **


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh my... I'm so sorry guys! I thought I posted this chapter already! It just so happened though that I went to reread what I had posted through the site, and realized it wasn't up! To make this up to you I will try and post another chapter later today or tomorrow.**

**Also just a warning: This chapter is much darker than the previous two, and contains violence, swears and a little bit of torture (nothing to explicit though: the story won't go into exactly what's happening just kind of brushes the topic really).**

**Anyway, enough of my babble... Enjoy!**

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Emrys watched as memories passed him by. Events and people he hardly remembered. He had long ago forgotten it all; it was no use to dwell on the 'what was' as he called it. That was gone and never coming back. But in this darkness he allowed himself to divulge in them. He began to feel and think in a way he hadn't in years, and he wondered why he had ever given it up.

The current memory was of when he was six, if he was judging right. It was an early morning in the Spring, and he watched this younger persona of him, which had so much life and energy, to see what he would do next. The young boy snuck out of the cottage, and Emrys could vaguely recall the reasons for such stealth. He could hear his mother's voice, her only argument as to why he could not go out alone_. "It's too dangerous" _she would say,_ "If you accidently let out any of your magic then we'll both be dead." _

Emrys felt Merlin's thoughts on the matter, and couldn't help but laugh inside. His younger self thought magic was so pure and beautiful, and no doubt it could be, but the people's fear of it was well based. I could burn, and kill, and cause pain beyond belief. It could destroy mountains, and turn people to ash for a breeze to carry away. It could summon wind that tore through everything in its path, and summon demons and dark creatures from the very earth itself. No, Emrys thought, this _boy_ had yet to see the truth. But he would. He would see _exactly_ what he was capable of, but by then, he would not even remember that he ever thought magic as something so pure.

The boy was sprinting now, Emrys saw, running through the woods. He could feel Merlin's fear; hear his panicked thoughts. He was trying to escape from something… no not something, he thought, someone. Emrys recalled that someone. He was the town bully. Two years older than Merlin and hell bent on putting the "little bastard" into place. Emrys remembered that he had seen the boy when Cenred had brought him back to Ealdor. Apparently Camelot had crossed over there, and he needed to punish the town. The bully had received his long time coming punishment then.

Emrys watched, entranced as Merlin tripped, allowing the bully to catch up to him, just as another boy came into view. A young brown haired boy. But before the bully could do anything, the brown haired boy was standing in between him and Merlin.

"_What do you think you're doing Blakely?" _ Emrys watched as the bully sneered and went after the boy, but he was to quick and had the bully on the ground shortly. _"Go on! We don't need your kind around here!"_ Emrys watched as the bully ran from the scene, feeling his mouth twitch. What was it called that his mouth was doing? The young boys before him were doing the same. Smiling was it? Yes, that was it. He was smiling. The feeling was foreign, but he couldn't help but enjoy watching as the bully ran away in an act of cowardice.

Emrys allowed his attention to be brought back to the boys before him. He could feel his younger self's surprise, but also his caution, and the frown returned.

"_Thank you…" _The raven haired boy trailed off and Emrys watched curiously, to see what would happen next.

"_The name's Will. And you're welcome."_

Merlin stood up, and held out his hand, _"Nice to meet you Will. My name's Merlin." _Emrys tried to hold onto the scene, but it was changing too quickly and being replaced by another one. Instantly he could feel the pain rolling off of Merlin as he was beaten by the bully from the last memory. Insults rolling off his tongue as he kicked the boy at his feet.

"_Not so tough without your precious friend to protect you huh?! You're just a little bastard! Your mother is a little whore you know? That's why you got no dad. She just wanted it so bad she sold herself to the first man passing through town, and just her luck that she had you afterwards! Oh my father remembers well when she found out. He tells me all the time as she screamed and cried about how she couldn't raise a baby on her own. But she got what she deserved! But you. You think you can just go prancing about doing whatever you want! Ha! No you don't get that privilege! You're nothing! You're just a worthless bastard!" _

Emrys watched. This he was used to: the constant words of dissent from his superiors. He remained motionless as the scene changed again. The woodland changed into a stone cell, and the bully became his master. The king kicked him, hit him. He used the whip, and the iron, and oh so many other lovely instruments. _"You incompetent, worthless slave! You dared to speak out of place! How dare you! You do not get to speak! You speak only when I allow you to! Do you understand!"_

Emrys watched, his emotions being barricaded once more, as the boy in front of him, ten summers now, cried and managed to nod, knowing that speaking out would only bring more of his master's wrath. _"You've been an annoyance for too long. It's time we corrected that."_ Emrys could feel the boy's confusion, but Emrys remembered. He could recall this now. His master already had control of his magic, the collar around his neck ensured that, but Cenred had had no method of preventing his rebellion in other ways. Emrys knew what would happen before it did, but he watched anyway. He needed to remember why he fought for Cenred, not just with his magic, for he had no choice in that matter, but with his physical skill as well. He needed to remember why he willingly carried swords and knives to defend the king. Why he would fight tooth and nail to protect him.

So he watched. Watched as the guards brought in a badly beaten and unconscious Hunith to display to the young boy. He watched as the boy cried out for his mother, and screamed at the king. He watched as the king backhanded him and chained him up. Tortured him until the pain no longer bothered him. Until pain was just as natural as breathing. Emrys watched as Cenred whispered in his ear viciously, that should he ever step out of line again, then his mother would suffer all that he just had and more. That he would be forced to watch as she was brought to him and his magic used on her. That he would watch her beg for death but be denied.

This was what brought Merlin to his knees before Cenred; before his master. This was when Merlin fell, and Emrys was born. This was when the darkness won, and the innocence of a boy was destroyed. This was the day that magic screamed, and everything changed.

* * *

**So then... you all now know a little bit more about "Emrys'" predicament. XD I have to say, when I first started writing this, it was never supposed to go this way, but it sort of clicked and then grew wings and took flight, and there was no stopping it anymore. This is probably one of the few remaining scenes before this story hits its real plot line, which I hope won't ruin this. So let me know what you think of this chapter! I love hearing all your ideas and suggestions! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Well guys, here's your extra chapter as promised! It's a little different this time, but hopefully you all like it (It feels a little choppy and slow to me). We are getting closer to the entrance of the main plot line though (Woo hoo!). And you get to learn more about how Arthur and Camelot are at the sytage of "destiny" as they are in this fic. XD **

**Also Thank you to all of my reviewers, followers, and favoriters (Is that a word? If not I'm making it a word ;)  
**

**So enjoy!**

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Arthur motioned to his knights to move forward. They had to hurry. Cenred had learned of their approach and had shortened the curfew hours. Now instead of being off the streets by sundown, everyone, who was not recruited to the army, was required to be inside locked houses by noon, and were not to come out again until sunrise. There was no doubt that Cenred was strict, but even the people must know that something, besides the impending war, had caused this. Of course Arthur knew the truth. This was Cenred's response to Emrys' death, even if he wouldn't be dead quite yet, he was as close to it as possible. Cenred knew that he would fall. He must. After all, while Arthur had broken the mental chains his father wrapped around him, and embraced magic fully, Cenred still only used it when it suited his needs. Cenred had only one sorcerer, who was useless now, but Arthur had hundreds of magic users supporting him, among them some of the most powerful of the time.

It had shocked the kingdoms when he had announced the ban on magic lifted within the first week of his reign, but the magical community, and those who were closest to him, had seen it coming long in advance. It was not often that he had questioned his father's judgments, but when Uther had revealed that he was willing to kill a young boy, solely because he was a Druid, Arthur's tune had begun to change.

With Morgana and Gwen's help they had easily helped the boy escape and return him to the druids. That had been the beginning. After that, Arthur began to study more on magic, using the excuse that it was so he could better defend against it. He found that magic wasn't all bad. Two years later when he was fifteen, and his father had caught him with Guinevere, he had fought valiantly to protect her, but it wasn't until Morgana devised a plan to save them that they were in the clear.

Morgana had found a druid who had been willingly to sacrifice his identity to help the Once and Future King, and they had planted a poultice under both 'victims' pillows. While Arthur stayed locked in his room, the druid allowed himself to be captured, and Morgana helped him escape. Uther had dismissed the idea of banishing Gwen, and they grew more cautious about when and where they met each other.

It was a year later that Morgana discovered her own magic, and a week after that when she went out riding with Gwen and Arthur. A group of Cenred's knights attacked their riding party, but with the arrival of the druids, the knights had turned tail. When they returned with no Morgana, Arthur simply told his father that Cenred's men had taken her.

After that Camelot had gone to war with Escetia, though they never made it far after the appearance of Cenred's sorcerer. The war went on until Arthur was twenty, when his father was shot in the back with a poisoned arrow. Three days later he married Guinevere and was crowned king.

It had been a year of chaos after that, as Morgana returned, a high priestess now, with her half-sister, Morgause, and teacher, Nimueh. They joined the fight and advised Arthur as to protect himself from Emrys. They began raids on Cenred's strongholds, and claimed more villages as their own, immediately treating them to medical care, food, and new supplies. All around people sang him praises. At the end of the year he allied himself with King Caerleon, who decided fighting as a united front against Cenred, was better than fighting Cenred and Arthur separately. But despite how powerful they had become, Arthur would not enter into the heart of Escetia.

Arthur smiled as he remembered Morgana's warnings, and his shock when she came to him one day and, completely disregarding her previous arguments, told Arthur that he was to attack Cenred's castle. That was when his plan had been formed. He sent Gwen, after much arguing on his part to keep her behind, into Cenred's castle, where she would work her way up until she was close enough to kill Emrys. Morgana had given her a poison that would block his magic and put him into a coma like state, though it would take a week before his heart would completely give out. When Guinevere had finally returned he had been ecstatic, but her tale had left him wondering.

Which was why he was leading a group of two disguised knights into the Cenred's castle, while contemplating the mystery that was Emrys.

When Arthur had asked Morgana about him, she had simply said "he once had a great destiny", Morgause had said much the same, and Nimueh told him that "he was the symbol of a future peace that never was" which had just confused him more. He had asked people who he liberated what they knew of him, and they would always say the same things: He was the black magician. All he did was destroy the lives of innocents. He was a shadow that spread over them, some even called him a demon. But this contradicted what his resident priestesses and loving queen implied.

Arthur was snapped out of his thoughts and memories though, when Lancelot spoke, "Arthur? Are you alright?"

He smiled, it was just like Lancelot to worry over him. He was like a mother hen when it came to those he cared about. He responded easily, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking." Lancelot nodded, and Arthur looked around. They were in the castle now, Gwen had told them where to go, all they needed to do was head towards the throne room, and then they could force Cenred to give up his crown.

They were half way there when they heard the bells. His army had begun the attack. It wouldn't be long before all of Cenred's forces would be forced to surrender. They were completely surrounded, and if what Gwen said was true, more than half of the army didn't even want to fight in the first place. Arthur smiled. Soon this war would be over.

~\\./~

Cenred snarled at the guard who came in informing of the attack on his city. He had known that Pendragon was close, had known that someone had gotten in and incapacitated Emrys. They had known that weakness, and now he was surrounded. He cursed, and got up, slamming the guard to the wall in his fury as he yelled, "Then. Do. Something. About it!" The guard flinched as spittle flew across his face, and Cenred dropped him storming back over to his throne, andcalling over a terrified servant to refill his wine. In the corner of his eye, Cenred watched as the guard cautiously rose and bowed, before running out of the room.

Cenred allowed himself to think again, cursing Pendragon, cursing Emrys. Emrys who was now laying in the physician's quarters dying. Cenred had ordered him to cure himself, he had felt the magic rise and be beaten back down again. Cenred smiled savagely, if Emrys survived this, then he would pay dearly for allowing it. He knew very well that Emrys could detect any poison in any food or drink in the room, which meant that Emrys had willingly allowed himself to be poisoned. Oh yes, Cenred thought, Emrys would be punished _severely _for allowing it.

But Cenred was so engrossed in his visions of torture he would inflict upon Emrys that he didn't notice when three men entered the room, until there was already a blade at his neck.

* * *

**Wow... I think I wrote Cenred better than Arthur... that is so shameful unto me. But oh well, that's not the point! What did you all think? (And if you were waiting for a big battle scene, sorry but it's not coming... yet) **

**The next chapter should be more interesting (actually I know it will be!). XD **

**So don't forget to review! I love here your suggestions and ideas (and they help to kick start my writing drive). XD**


	5. Chapter 5

**Well I was going to wait to post this tomorrow, but with all the lovely reviews you all gave me I decided to put this up now. (Beside the fact that I'd probably forget tomorrow with the chaos that will be occurring). Anyway, there is a tiny tiny tiny bit of reference to plot if I can even call it that, in this chapter. There's more coming in the next chapter, vaguely. But you know... build-up. Normally I'm all for action as soon as possible, but this story kind of needs it. Sooooo yeah.**

**Oh and if you didn't catch it in the last chapter (I would hope you did, but you know) Morgana is on Arthur's side, along with Morgause, and Nimueh... that may or may not change in the future ;) But if it does I'll make sure I do it properly. **

**Also:**

**_A Fellow Reader:_ Thanks! And I totally agree about Cenred. XD**

**_Reon_: Thanks!**

**Also thanks to all the others who followed and/or favorited this story!**

**Now then! Enjoy!**

* * *

Guinevere watched from the physician's chambers in King Cenred's castle as said king was brought to the courtyard. It had been two days since they had taken the kingdom, and four days since she had poisoned Emrys. She looked over at the bed where the sorcerer lay. He was pale, paler than when she had last seen his face. His heartbeat was so faint that she could not find it, but she knew he was still breathing, if erratically. That was obvious when she held a small mirror under his nose, and his breath fogged it up.

She had remained in the room overseeing Emrys since she had found him. But she wasn't alone. Another woman sat by the bed, holding Emrys' hand and softly crying. Gwen had found her in a hidden room in one of the hallways. The door had runes carved into the wood which Gwen had noticed, and when she had entered, the woman had been shocked. Gwen later discovered that the woman was Emrys' mother and had been locked in that room for eight years. Food and water was brought in by guards each day. When Morgana examined the room, she explained that the runes shielded anyone inside from being located even if their presence was still detectable, and that it very well could be that Emrys was forced to do Cenred's bidding or have his mother suffer.

Gwen pitied the woman, Hunith, she said her name was. She had had her son taken away and then locked up for eight years, unaware of what was happening to him, only to be released and find her son dying. They hadn't told her that he had been responsible for the deaths of hundreds, possibly thousands of people. They had simply told the mother that he had been found where he was, and they knew nothing more.

Hunith had begged and cried that they heal her son, that they find a cure, that they use magic, anything to heal him. Gwen was heartbroken when all she could tell the grief stricken woman was that the only cure was in Camelot, and that it would not be retrieved in time. After that Gwen listened to the woman as she told story after story of the boy that Emrys used to be. "Merlin" she called him, "was the most curious and loving boy." Gwen had taken it upon herself to learn as much as she could about Emrys, the man she had poisoned, and Merlin, the boy he used to be. She hadn't told Arthur what she had learned. She didn't think that he would understand.

Gwen smiled sadly at the pair before turning back to the window overlooking the courtyard. Cenred was now being brought to the block. He would be beheaded for his crimes against his people. There wasn't a crowd. Only the nobles overlooking the deed as witnesses. Arthur would be the one to read the crimes, and then take his own sword to Cenred's head; that was the tradition of overtaking a kingdom. And Arthur had no complaints, the man was cruel, even Gwen had agreed that it was best for everyone. It also helped to ease her mind that the real monster would die, even if she couldn't save the poor soul that had been broken by him.

She looked away as Arthur lifted his sword up; she didn't want to see someone beheaded even if it was Cenred. So it was when the collar around Emrys' throat glowed brightly, she was looking right at it. The glow faded quickly and the collar crumbled apart. Gwen immediately stood up and glancing out the window she saw that Cenred's body was being removed from the block, she wondered if the two were linked. After quickly telling Hunith she would return in a moment, she ran to find Morgana. Hunith had simply nodded, to startled to speak.

~\\./~

Hunith looked up as Gwen came in, trailed by another woman with raven curls falling down her back. She looked through grief filled eyes at the visitor as she spoke, "Hello dear, my name's Morgana, I'm here to help."

"Can you heal my son?"

Her voice was filled with grief and Morgana bit her lip. "That remains to be seen Hunith. You see right now I have to examine your son here, but to do that I'm going to have to ask you to leave for a minute with Gwen." Gwen looked at Morgana in shock. She knew that Morgana wouldn't give false hope to a grieving woman, so did that mean that she could cure Emrys? Gwen planned to get an explanation later and instead gently guided Hunith out of the room.

~\\./~

Emrys was watching another scene play out in the darkness. It was him just a few years ago, but in a situation that was far from uncommon. He stood in a room filled with hundreds of weapons and instruments meant specifically for pain. He had been on the receiving end of many of them, but this time he watched as his master used them on one of his "toys". This one was a man who had been caught hunting in the king's forests.

Emrys watched as Cenred grew bored, and instead turned to his slightly younger self, commanding him to perform a spell to heal the man, after which he quickly had him use a dark spell to cause him unimaginable pain. Emrys watched as Cenred used him as just another tool, not that he had had a choice. Emrys' eyes caught the glint of the plain silver ring on one of Cenred's finger. The ring that was made of the same material, and same piece of metal, as that of the collar circling his neck. The two pieces were enchanted with strong magic that allowed the one wearing the ring to have full control of the other's magic, but the magic would still only come from the collared sorcerer.

It was then that Emrys felt it. Something had happened, something that shouldn't have happened. And then there was a presence beside him. When he looked he saw a woman with a waterfall of raven hair, and startlingly green eyes. His body stiffening, Emrys turned to the woman, "Who are you?" The memory around them disappeared and the two stood surrounded by the endless dark.

"My name is Morgana Pendragon, a High Priestess, and I have come to help you." Emrys gazed at her, searching for a lie. He found none.

"There is no way to help me. I am already lost." Emrys started to walk away into the darkness. He was beyond help. His heart was damaged, and he was dying. His time was over, his destiny ended.

"I beg to differ." Emrys turned around, to look at the woman again, "There are two very worried woman out there waiting for you… I believe you would very much like to see at least one of them."

"I have no one in that world left for me."

"You have the Queen of Camelot praying for a miracle. And you have your mother-" At this Emrys turned his full attention on her, his eyes sharpening and flaring gold for a second, "overcome with grief and begging for you to return."

Emrys swallowed. His mother. His mother was safe, and she wanted him back. But… he couldn't. "Even if I wanted to, I cannot return. My power is held at bay by the poison, and the only cure is in Camelot." Morgana smiled at Emrys' words, and he narrowed his eyes at her, "Are you implying that you have the cure?"

Morgana's smile widened before she pulled a vial from out of thin air. "You see Emrys, I was the one to give Gwen the poison in the first place. Would you really think me fool enough to not have the antidote?"

Emrys looked hard at the vial, allowing his sense to confirm that it was indeed the antidote, before tearing his eyes away from it. "If I were to drink that, then I would be again enslaved to Cenred, and forced to kill more innocents. I will not."

Morgana's eyes widened at the remark. Before she stormed over and slapped him. "You are an idiot Emrys. I know that you know what you felt earlier. You felt Cenred relinquish his control on your magic. He's dead. King Arthur beheaded him this morning. You are just making excuses now." Emrys didn't even flinch at the slap, but Morgana's words made him cringe. "Why don't you want to return Emrys?"

Morgana watched as Emrys looked down, mumbling words that Morgana could barely hear, "I am not who I used to be. I do not want my mother to have to bear the pain of seeing the son that she loved so dear corrupted by such evil." Emrys began to walk again, and all Morgana could do was shake her head sadly.

"You are not corrupted Emrys. That is obvious to everyone but you apparently. Well, everyone who takes the time to really see you. If you were truly corrupted Emrys, then you would never have drunk the poison in the first place. If you were corrupted then you would not care for the innocents that you don't want to harm. If you were corrupted then you would _not care about your mother at all_." Emrys kept walking, and Morgana ran to him grabbing his hand. "If you won't listen to me, then at least take the antidote. When I created it, I made it so that you could drink it here and it would still work. Please, just consider it? You still have another two or three days."

Emrys looked at Morgana, and she flinched at the pain she saw in those eyes as he spoke to her, "I will keep the antidote, but I will not drink it. I do not belong in that world anymore. I have caused to much pain to be accepted there." And with those words Morgana was forced from Emrys' mind, but not before she got out a few of her own.

"We still need you Emrys."

* * *

**Oh look... cliff hanger. hmmm... should probably run about now. **

**Also please review! **


	6. Chapter 6

**So I'm back! Thanks for having so much patience everyone, and I'm so sorry that this took so long. Hopefully another update should be coming up soon, but I haven't had much time to write more than this. So hopefully my schedule will loosen up and you will be seeing another chapter soon.**

**Anyway, enjoy the chapter! XD**

* * *

"_We still need you Emrys." _The words rung incessantly around him as he sat in the darkness. What use was he though? He was a black stain upon the world. There couldn't be anywhere left for him… right? _"We still need you…" _ For what? What could be so evil that they would need _Emrys_ to help them? A

_"There is a darkness rising Young Warlock, one unlike any seen before." _The voice he heard was unknown to him, but he could feel the power behind them, _"It is your destiny to stand beside the Once and Future King. Come back to us…"_

Emrys spoke back, sending his voice to the being that spoke to him, _"I am no help to you. That prophecy has long since died. The man you look for was never born, his light taken before it had yet to shine."_

_ "Destiny has diverged from its intended path, yes, but it is far from dead. Your light is still within you Young Warlock, and it will shine strong and brighter than any before. The darkness will fall at your hand, and a new age will arise."_

Emrys didn't respond. The being was certainly powerful to overcome the poison's strength and open a telepathic link, but he must be wrong. There wasn't any light left in him. It had fallen in battle on that day. The day when magic screamed.

_"You do as you're told _slave._ Your magic is mine, you are mine. You will obey my every command do you understand?" Emrys nodded. "You are worthless, nothing. You do not speak. You do not think. You do only as I tell you. You have no importance here, I can have you killed with word. I can have your mother killed with a flick of my hand. Do you understand?"_

It was his master's voice that came to him. The constant denigration forever in his mind. But something else was pushing to be released too. Emrys reached out with is mind, searching for what he felt the need to find.

_"You are not a monster my son, you are the most important person this world will ever see. You have a purpose out there, somewhere, and you will find it one day." _His mother's voice rung clear, and suddenly he was barraged with memories.

_"There will always be darkness in this world my boy, and it is our job to fight it. Every day, every moment, we fight it."_

_ He looked to his teacher, "But what happens when we fall in battle? When the darkness wins?" _

_ "Then, my boy, we fall back. We hide and wait for reinforcements, and when they come we fight back with all our strength. We surround ourselves with friends and family, and every day we fight back the darkness. And sometimes we slip, and for a moment we lose our light, but that is only one battle in the war, and we fight the darkness back until it can never rise again. Do you understand what I am saying my boy?"_

_ "I think, sir."_

_ "Good. Then you remember that even if you remember nothing else I have taught you."_

Emrys remembered clearly that teacher. He recalled Cenred's reaction when he found out that he was teaching more than just spells. And he remembered the pier that was lit using his magic. But that wasn't all that had returned to his memories.

He remembered his promise: Keep fighting, never give up, and never give in.

He knew what he was going to do.

~\\./~

Morgana turned away as she felt Emrys' life faded. She was sure that she had gotten through to him, but apparently not. She walked out as Gwen comforted Hunith, seeing that the mirror had not fogged up again. But just as she reached the door she felt a rush of magic. Morgana reached out with her mind to the body laying prone on the bed. _"Welcome back Emrys."_

"_I'm not sure it a welcome is in order. But nonetheless… it's good to be back."_

Morgana smiled as she walked out, just as Hunith and Gwen realized that Emrys was awake.

* * *

**So yeah... really short (Sorry!) but I don't have a lot of time right now so I can't give you guys more than this (I really want too though!) Hopefully I'll be writing more soon though. **

**So review, and tell me how you liked it! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Gah! I am finding that me keeping to scheduling promises are not working out. Anyway. I finally got some time to finish this chapter up. So hopefully you all don't hate me for taking so long. **

**Anyway, I'm not going to give you an obnoxiously long note about why I was so busy. So... Enjoy!**

* * *

Gwen hugged Hunith as she cried on her shoulder. She had hoped that Morgana had managed to help Emrys. She clearly remembered coming back in at Morgana's call just a few days before. The hope that Morgana had given Hunith was so strong. The poor mother had continued to talk about her plans for when he woke up. But all Gwen could do was hold Hunith close and be her shoulder to cry on.

Gwen, caught up in comforting Hunith, did not hear the first fits of coughing, or the shifting of blankets on the bed. Nor did she hear the sound of feet meeting stone, or the grunt of pain as Emrys pulled himself over to them. She did see the pale hand that hesitatingly reached out and clasped Hunith's shoulder though.

Both women jumped and pulled away from the gaunt figure standing before them. It was then that Hunith realized exactly who it was and ran forwards pulling the crest fallen figure towards her. She watched as Merlin's legs began to collapse, and rushed forward to help Hunith carry him back to the bed.

"Mother?" The voice that issued forth from the broken boy was pitiful; rough from neglect, and sounding such as a plea would. Gwen looked over Emrys, seeing the tears trailing slowly down his gaunt cheeks, the pleading look in his eyes, as he looked desperately for confirmation that this was real. The frail pale hand reaching out to his mother's searching for the loving contact that he had been neglected of for so many years.

Hunith grasped his hand in her own, squeezing in reassurance, as she spoke with tears of pain and joy in her eyes; a tight smile stretched across her face. "My boy… It is me. I promise you, I'm here, and I'm never leaving you again."

Gwen moved away to let them have some privacy, going to watch the servants, and knights run about the courtyard. She watched as Arthur strolled about barking orders, only stopping to speak to some of the stray townspeople who had come to see their new king, or to ask for assistance in repairing the city after the battle.

~\\./~

Hunith embraced her boy for a long time. She never wanted to let him go. She wanted to pick him up and carry him as far away from this place as possible and help him recover. And not just help him recover from the poison, but also from the emotional scars that she could tell he had. She did not know what had happened to him, but she could tell that he had suffered greatly. She could also tell that he had done something wrong, that was obvious when the Queen had said they had found her son as he was. It was obviously a lie, she had not spent so many years in palace and learned nothing, but she was thankful nonetheless. Whatever her son had done, that was his for him to tell her when he was ready.

Hunith let go of her son as he pulled away and looked away from her. She reached out but he evaded her, shaking his head, and mumbling beneath his breath. She frowned and looked him over before speaking. "What's wrong my boy?" Merlin simply shook his head again and refused to speak. Hunith frowned, reaching out quickly and grabbing her son's hands, "Look at me Merlin Ambrosias! Look at me." She gently lifted his head with her hand, "Whatever they did to you, whatever they made you do, all of that is in the past. You don't need to dwell on it anymore."

Her son shook his head, "No… no you don't understand! I'm not… I am not who I used to be mother. The things I have done… All I look at I hurt. I'm a monster-"

"You will never be a monster! You are too good for that!"

"But I am! All I do is cause damage! I can't just remove that part of my past."

Hunith shook her head, tears streaming down her face. She could not think how to help her son, and that hurt her more than anything.

~\\./~

Emrys sat there watching his mother. Why couldn't she understand? He couldn't put her in danger like that. Eventually he would hurt her, and there would be no going back. The silence between them grew: both their faces swollen and red. The suffocating quiet lasted until three words spoken soft and clear, coming from his mother's mouth, cut through the silence. "Then fix it."

"What?"

"Fix it. Do good from now on. Make up for what you have done. Become who you want to be."

Emrys looked at his mother. The concept was foreign. He had not had a chance to be who he wanted for as long as he could remember. Who did he want to be? It was a difficult question for him to answer. Perhaps it would be easier to answer who he did _not_ want to be. He did not want to hurt anyone needlessly. He did not want to have senseless hatred, nor did he want to be a weapon. He did not want to cause war and suffering.

Where did that leave him then? He wanted to help others, to look for the good in people and give them second chances, much like he himself was being given. He wanted to bring peace, to help unify the people and to stop war.

He looked back at his mother, nodding, "Okay. That is what I will do then. I won't be who I was before."

~\\./~

Gwen started to move toward the door feeling uncomfortable. It was obvious that this was a very private moment. Her heart had broken when Emrys had called himself a monster. He might have committed some horrendous crimes, but they were obviously of no choice of his own. The poor boy had been beaten until he could not even think for himself. She hoped that no one else would have to suffer as he had.

But she could not help thinking what would happen now. Emrys was alive and reunited with his mother, and it was obvious that he would not needlessly hurt anyone again, but what would Arthur do? Gwen wanted to believe that he would just let Emrys be to live his life in peace, but she knew that he would always be suspicious. That is why she had agreed to help Morgana keep Arthur away from the room. Her husband had never laid his eyes upon Emrys or his mother. Perhaps this way they could be safe. Gwen was interrupted from her thoughts, just as she reached for the door.

"Guinevere?" She looked back at the suddenly strong voice. Emrys smiled at her. "Thank you. For everything. You are much more than what the stars can describe." The reference to their first meeting made Gwen smile slightly in return, but Emrys frowned, his eyes glazed over, and his voice suddenly grave and serious, "Be cautious my lady. There is a storm brewing and I fear that none of us will avoid its strike. Even the brightest light casts its shadows, though they are harder to find. There are those who seek to quench their endless greed and they will stop at nothing to reach it." Emrys blinked and shook his head, glancing up at her questioningly, before understanding dawned on him. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could the door opened, and two women walked in.

* * *

**So... I figure some of you might be like, "that is very OOC" and everything. But I just want to point out, in Merlin's case he hasn't seen his mother in years, solely because Cenred was using her as a threat to keep him in check. So basically Merlin still really caes about his mother, but is worried that she's still in danger. **

**On Gwen's part, I figure while she is probably much more confident, having been Queen during a war time for a year, she would still have her heart that makes her want to be there and help and understand others, but feels like she shouldn't intrude or offend anyone either. You know like when she first met Merlin in the show. **

**A****ny who might feel like Hunith is out of character, which I really do not know why you would, but anyway, I figure she might be a little emotionally strained from being held captive for a few years, but she would still want to be strong for her son. And Mother's love and all that, she would not want her son to be hurting and so would do everything she could to comfort him. **

**Anyway, I hope you like it, and I'll try to have another chapter up this week, (but don't hold me to that) to make up for the long wait. Until then please review! And I promise the real plot is going to begin showing its face very very soon. XD**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello again everyone! I actually managed to be somewhat time conscious this time around! XD Yay! That means you all get another chapter, AND I'm almost finished with all my summer work for school. It's a win win. Although I don't actually know when I'll be able to post again since I start school again in two days, and my schedule is crazy and everything. But I'm trying, so hopefully I'll find time to write something longer than a few hundred words (don't worry this one is about 1,600 words). **

**B****ut anyway, go read. Enjoy!**

* * *

Morgana walked quickly down the halls toward where she knew Arthur would be. If everything was going to plan then Emrys would still be in the physician's room with Gwen and Hunith. All she had to do was make sure that Arthur did not reach said room. It was hard enough keeping him away from the room when Emrys was dying; it was harder to keep him from checking that the warlock was dead and being prepared for burial. Everything had to be timed perfectly for the plan to work. As it was Arthur had not an inkling of what Emrys and his mother looked like. This was exceedingly important. Hunith would be able to secure a position in the royal household while Emrys recovered. She only hope the rest of the plan would flow easily. After all, it was only together that the two figures of prophecy would be capable of vanquishing the approaching tempest... The very same storm that had been plaguing her mind since the night before.

With these thoughts in mind Morgana put on a charming smile and turned the corner, calling out, "Oh hello Arthur!"

~\\./~

When the two women walked in, Emrys stiffened, and shifted away from his mother. The blonde and the brunette made him uneasy, his magic warning him of something he could not discern. No matter what it was telling him though, Emrys knew he did not wish to appear weak and bed ridden before the two women who radiated strong magic similar to Morgana's, though it was not quite the same.

Emrys pushed himself off the bed standing with sudden ease. With a flash of gold in his eyes, he was suddenly out of his old black rags, and in an imposing outfit consisting of smart black trousers, a deep blue shirt, and a dusty blue-gray long surcoat lined with silver threads. In his right hand, he held a Sidhe staff made of gnarled wood and a glowing blue crystal, an item he had acquired whilst defending Cenred when he tried to fight his way to Avalon in order to control it. Of course, Emrys had managed to get the Sidhe to make a deal with the king, and Cenred had ultimately left Avalon unconquered.

With his magic stirring inside him, making the staff grow brighter in response, he strolled over to the two women, and picked them for information.. He looked for any and every piece of information he could find. The trinal star on their right arms was a symbol of the Triple Goddess, which made them High Priestesses if he remembered correctly. He vaguely recalled the mention of two priestesses in the old prophecy. And if he recalled his first "meeting" with Morgana, hadn't she said claimed to be a High Priestess?

Emrys chose to give up looking for information and instead looked directly into their eyes. There was something there, for a moment, but it was gone too quickly for him to make sense of it. Their faces were almost as shielded as his own, and that made him all the more cautious.

~\\./~

Gwen watched curiously, as Emrys reacted defensively. She wondered why the two Priestesses put him on edge, but felt that she should not interfere. So she stood up and waited for something to be said. Instead Emrys stared at them for some time before his back straightened up more, and his eyes narrowed. He tilted his head slightly in her direction, reminding Gwen of their first meeting once again. But there must have been something that she saw in that one simple motion. Whether it was the obvious unease or some other force, Gwen did not know, but whatever it was she stepped forward to speak.

"May I introduce the Ladies Nimueh and Morgause, High Priestesses as well as mentors and sisters to the Lady Morgana."

Gwen saw Emrys' eyes light up with recognition, and something else she could not determine, before he glanced the two over and blandly said, "Forgive me for being… _uneasy_ my ladies. My magic still recognizes those featured in the old prophecy, and yours were quite _sorrowful_ destinies. I do hope that you have gone far from those fated paths. After all, in this time during which the old prophecy has been thrown to the winds, we have the opportunity to choose which sides we take."

Nimueh and Morgause paled at the mention of their role in the old prophecy, making Gwen wonder just what they could have done. Nimueh, however, interrupted her thoughts, as she smiled tightly and said, "It is understandable. Having been one of the main figures of the old prophecy, as well as being so _powerful_, I can imagine that it would be hard to… let go."

The silence that followed put everyone on edge, the tension clearly visible in the room. Hunith broke through the dead air this time, speaking in a polite, but sharp tone, "If you do not mind me asking my ladies, but why are you here?" It was obvious that Hunith had become just as on edge as Emrys, and perhaps even protective.

Morgause smiled charmingly, "We are here to protect you. King Arthur, while surely tolerant of magic, cannot be expected to accept you so easily. He is probably on his way down here now to ensure you are… well, dead. The Lady Morgana is intercepting him to allow us time to get you out, as surely your magic is not yet strong enough to protect you."

Emrys' eyes narrowed, as he pushed them up against the wall with his magic. Gwen cried out in protest as Hunith shouted out, "_Merlin!"_ Emrys turned his head slightly in response to the only two people in the world which probably cared about him at the moment, before turning back to the priestesses who were struggling to free themselves. "I assure you, that I am perfectly capable of defending myself" he snarled, and then releasing his hold on the Nimueh and Morgause nonchalantly, he said "However, you are right in some aspect. I should leave here to recover fully. Seeing as you seem to have already planned out an escape, I will _graciously_ accept your offer to assist me _and _my mother to safety."

Morgause frowned at this, sharing a glance with Nimueh, "We only have enough power to take one person."

"Perfect, then I will transport myself, while you take my mother." Emrys was smiling charmingly, but the challenge in his eyes was obvious to everyone. Even more obvious was Morgause and Nimueh's hesitance in taking Hunith with them. There must have been something in Emrys' eyes however, because Morgause and Nimueh ultimately nodded. "Good! Now then, if one of you could inform me where we are going then I will collect what I need and meet you there."

Gwen was shocked by the vehemence with which the next words were said, as it they issued from Nimueh's mouth, "The Isle of the Blessed."

The only show that Emrys heard was the slight nod of his head before he swept out of the room. Gwen looked around at everyone left in the room, before hurrying out of the room to follow Emrys. She had a feeling that there was more to this than Emrys was letting on, and she intended to find out.

~\\./~

Arthur paused mid-stride as Morgana came around the corner, effectively blocking his path. He stood up straight as he eyed his sister, "I'm sorry Morgana, but I cannot talk now." He made to push his way through but Morgana stopped him with ease.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait. I need to speak with you."

Arthur sighed and begrudgingly stepped back so that they could speak at a respectable distance. "Make this fast Morgana; I have to be in the physician's chambers." Briefly, he thought that he had already told Morgana this, but he easily dismissed the suspicion in his mind.

Morgana broke through his thoughts, "There are a large number of people we have found in Cenred's cells, and I know you have been struggling to find a way to deal with them."

Arthur paused for a minute, thinking about the poor souls he had found. Blood pouring from seemingly everywhere, starved and thirsty, and in unparalleled pain. "Yes."

Morgana smiled happily, "Well, I believe I have come up with an answer to our problem. What if we offer them jobs as servants? Once they are healed of course. We will need some to help keep this castle while you are not here, and we could always use some more in Camelot. After all, we will be having the peace talks there soon won't we? I am sure the staff would welcome the extra help."

Arthur nodded, "Yes, I suppose. I will send word to have the people told of the offer. Now if you will let me go-"

"Arthur." The sudden seriousness in Morgana's voice stopped Arthur in his tracks. "There is something else. But it would better be said… _alone._"

Arthur knew immediately what Morgana meant. The walls had ears everywhere, and though there was probably no worry about a spy at this stage, it was still good to take caution. "We will talk after I return from my task." But as Arthur started to walk away, Morgana grabbed his arm.

"Now, Arthur."

Looking into his sisters eyes, Arthur saw the urgency and desperation, so sighing, he looked at her and said, "Where to?"

* * *

**So rereading this, I have no idea what just happened. The chapter took a huge turn from where I was going with it, but you know what? I think I like it. So, you all got Merlin/Emrys being all defensive like, and Morgana is... I don't even know. But whatever. **

**Also for those who were confused, while the story is written in 3rd person, I do try to keep it slightly at the perspective of a certain character for each part. So when the story reads 'Emrys' then whoever's perspective it is in is still seeing "Merlin" as "Emrys", which as of right now is basically everyone (including Merlin) except Hunith. And obviously if it reads "Merlin" they see him as "Merlin". A little confusing, but this is going to be important in future chapters. XD**

**Anyway, please Review! The reviews give me motivation to write, and I think we all agree that the faster I'm writing the happier we all are. **

**So then, Good day/night to all of you! And enjoy your week!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi everyone, so once again my love/hate relationship with computers has caused me some grief. :( My laptop once again crashed and I lost the chapter I again lost everything. Luckily this time I was able to get it working again, but now I have to go a rewrite some 3 or 4 chapters. There is good news though! I managed to get this partial chapter onto fanfiction about an hour before my computer crashed, so it is saved. Originally I was going to have this chapter followed by another shortish chapter posted at the same time today, but until I rewrite the other chapter this is all you'll be getting, sorry. I'm going to try and get it down before Tuesday, but that's going to depend on how quickly I finish my school work which is a monster this weekend. **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! It really helped me to write a lot, even with the unfortunate events that followed. **

**Anyway, go enjoy the chapter. It's the most plot filled yet! XD**

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Arthur walked towards his temporary chambers, his thoughts in conflict. Morgana had taken him to her own chambers and cast a spell that prevented any outsiders from hearing the conversation. Even still, Morgana had been vague in what she said.

_"I've had another vision. And Arthur, you're not going to like it." Morgana's voice trembled a little, even as she tried to hide it. "But, before I say anymore, you won't be finding Emrys in the physician's chambers."_

_ "What!?"_

_ "Morgause and Nimueh have taken his body to the Isle of the Blessed to be given a proper funeral. Despite what he has done, Emrys deserves this much."_

_ Arthur sighed, having known Morgana had an ulterior motive. "Alright, I suppose I should have seen this coming… Now what is this about a vision?"_

_ Morgana looked around, seeming to be worried that despite their precautions they would still be overheard. "Before Emrys was taken by Cenred, there was the Old Prophecy. Emrys would be a force for good, and together, you two would unite Albion and free magic."_

_ "So Emrys was not supposed to be enslaved?" Morgana nodded, "But everything else you have spoken of is still coming to pass. Why?"_

_ Morgana bit her lip, "When Emrys was first enslaved, he was still fighting Cenred in any way he could, and anyone with strong enough magic could feel him fighting. It was only a few years into his… _service_ that Cenred found a way to have full control of Emrys. He found his mother, and showed Emrys what he would do to her. When he gave in, the very earth itself screamed. You probably remember. It was, after all, the day my magic awoke."_

_ Arthur did remember, he remembered the furious flames everywhere in Morgana's room as he ran in to rescue her. _

_ "It was shortly after that a druid seer by the name of Lochru foretold a new prophecy." Morgana pulled a small slip of paper from out of nowhere and handed to him. "Don't let anyone else see it. Though it does not reveal as much as the other seers have seen and told it is still important… What is more troubling though, is the vision I had last night… I do not know who we can trust Arthur."_

_ "What do you mean?"_

_ Morgana shook her head, "It seemed as though the Old Prophecy and the New Prophecy met and become one. I was not able to see enough to say exactly what it means, but I think that it is unwise to trust anyone who the Old Prophecy cautioned against."_

_ Arthur frowned in confusion, "Alright, so we just, what? Hear a name from the Old Prophecy and do not tell them anything of import?"_

_ "It's not that easy Arthur. The Old Prophecy spoke of many people who have changed. But if what I saw in my vision is true, than there are only the major figures to worry about. That's where the problem is."_

_ "Why? Morgana who is it?"_

_ "It's Nimueh and Morgause… and me. Arthur I do not want to do anything to hurt you, but I think, I think that it might be best if I leave for a while."_

Arthur frowned at the memory. He and Morgana had argued about it for some time, until they came to a decision. She would stay until they had returned to Camelot, and settled everything concerning Escetia, and then she would go on a prolonged trip to the druidic tribes, in the northern kingdoms. The tribes were far away and well secluded, and it would be easy to convince everyone that she was visiting in order to gain more magical knowledge.

Once he was in his room, Arthur sat down and carefully opened the paper that Morgana had handed him. As he read the words, he stiffened, the words sending a chill down his back, and he immediately looked around, suddenly paranoid that someone was watching.

~\\./~

Far away from the Once and Future King, a women frowned at the image in the water. On a table lay a piece of parchment with words written on it:

_**Beware the trees,**_

_**For secrets they speak.**_

_**Take heed the breeze,**_

_**For it does shriek**_

_**The call for blood.**_

_**Many will leave.**_

_**The veil will flood.**_

_**Many will grieve**_

_**The souls we lost.**_

_**Betrayal comes**_

_**At high a cost.**_

_**Beware the drums**_

_**Of war.**_

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**So, yep. Plot. Technically. I would write more here, but I really do need to go get my school work done so I can write more chapters, again. **

**Anyway, let me know what you think! Tell me who think the woman is (I won't tell you if your right or not, but I like to see what you all are thinking). Go Review! XD**

**Also, Please don't use the poem at the end without asking me, I wrote it myself and would rather not people using it without me knowing. **


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